SRU ups ante as it tries to establish game in north-east

THE Tonga Test match is the latest in a burgeoning drive by Scottish rugby to give the sport a stronger foothold and appeal in Scotland’s north-east. The sight of top-class rugby in Aberdeen is far from new, but this weekend’s game is part of a more cohesive push to ensure international rugby becomes an established part of the north-east’s sporting fabric.

Schools and age-grade internationals have long been held in the Granite City, mostly at the plush grounds of Countesswells. Scotland B saw off Italy at Seafield in 1987 and Scotland A lost to France at Rubislaw, home to Aberdeen GSFP, in 1993 and edged a tight affair 21-18 with Romania there in 2002. Even legendary All Blacks sides led by Sir Wilson Whineray and Sir Colin Meads took on district teams in Aberdeen.

But it was not until 2005 that Pittodrie came into play, work between the Aberdeen City Council, Aberdeen FC and the Scottish Rugby Union bringing a Barbarians fixture to the home of Aberdeen football. It was the first time in ten meetings that the game was played away from Murrayfield and resulted in a first victory for Scotland.

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That game provided an indication of the level of support for a fixture at Pittodrie and Scotland have since hosted Canada (2008), Samoa (2010) and now Tonga, with the third of the autumn Tests never likely to fill Murrayfield but backed in capacity numbers at Pittodrie.

Added to the school and community visits by the Scotland players across the north-east this week, the extra investment in rugby development being led by Aberdeenshire rugby’s pied piper, Pete Young, and the fresh influence of local businessman Sir Moir Lockhead, it adds up to a powerful drive.

Yesterday morning, Sir Moir, the former FirstGroup CEO and now SRU chairman, joined SRU chief executive Mark Dodson, president Alan Lawson and past-president Ian McLauchlan in an SRU delegation that hosted more than 30 members of the city’s corporate community at a breakfast in a city hotel. Sir Moir spoke to an audience including leading oil businesses, law firms, chamber of commerce and rugby representatives about the vision he and Dodson are forming for Scottish rugby and how it can be developed across the north-east.

There is no suggestion yet that the money exists to launch a new professional team here, but Lockhead admitted that he would like to see that happen when the funding does appear. For now, he wants to see more support for rugby across the area in general.

That is where a legacy from such Test matches will be generated and the game itself is also a welcome and necessary show of support for the thousands of rugby supporters in the north-east and Highlands who travel regularly to Murrayfield.